Masks
by Liara-Shadowsong
Summary: "Deidara senpai..." The masked Akatsuki member hadn't been caught by the blast, and Sasuke had no idea how. A post chapter 362, Tobi centric oneshot. Note: This has been pretty much AU since it was written, with the Tobito theory used.


Masks

By Kawaii Chibi Shun

Warning: Contains chapter 362 spoilers.

A/N: Argh!!! I'm trying to write a Harry Potter one-shot, and I still have the deadline of my Naruto theme contest entry hanging over my head, but this idea just came up and bit me and refused to let go until completely written. Don't worry; I still proofread it properly before posting.

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"Deidara-senpai..."

The masked Akatsuki hadn't been caught by the blast, and Sasuke had no idea how.

He'd barely made it out alive himself, drawing on the curse seal to dredge up just enough chakra to drag himself out of the main blast range, and had used what was left to keep his Sharingan active long enough to dodge the worst of the debris. He was still beaten and exhausted; he'd nearly killed himself from lack of chakra to avoid dying of the explosion.

Yet there he was, red cloud patterned cloak mostly intact, orange swirled mask barely scratched. How could he be a shinobi worthy of the requisite S-rank for his organization when it was so obvious that he was crying under his mask? How could he have survived in the first place? Sasuke doubted he himself could have escaped even with all his chakra intact without his Sharingan, and he hated himself for having to rely on it.

Deidara's partner, who Sasuke was fairly sure was called Tobi, turned to face the other missing-nin, his feelings completely unreadable due to his physical mask, not to mention an emotional one Sasuke wouldn't have believed him capable of holding after his silly act while playing the supporting role to the former Rock-nin.

"You, Sasuke-kun, are a fool to have thrown away your life in your home village for one like this," the masked shinobi intoned, voice monotone from shock. "Most of us had nowhere else to go, nothing else we could do with our lives besides becoming missing-nin. Did you know Kisame got thrown out of Mist because he killed the hunter-nin who tried to kill him for having a blood-line ability? Zetsu-san left Grass because he was hated for having demon blood."

"I couldn't even remember much of my home village for the longest time because of a head injury that nearly killed me. Why would I have gone running back to somewhere I didn't even remember, especially since it took me over a year to even be able to function normally again, let alone be a shinobi? My clan would have probably had me discreetly killed before I even recovered to save them from the shame."

"But you, you just betrayed everyone you claimed to care about for the sake of revenge. Then you betrayed the person you swore loyalty to, and killed him. A ninja may often have to be an assassin and do other things not considered moral by civilians, but we still have honor."

"Will you try to kill me next, then?" Sasuke asked, still gasping for breath, barely able to drag his bleeding and broken form from the ground.

"Not for Akatsuki, I won't. The organization has betrayed its members as much as you have your village. I don't want anything else to do with them. Your former comrades can decide your fate. Some of them are around this area, I believe."

Tobi removed his patterned cloak, revealing the black outfit beneath. Armor, that was how he'd survived Sasuke's sword blow. And quite possibly why the explosion had had so little physical effect in comparison. But it still wasn't enough to explain how he'd gotten far enough past the main explosion to do him any good, how he'd made it as far away as Sasuke himself.

He picked up Deidara's ring from the ground where it had been thrown clear of the blast by merit of whatever protections had been placed on it by its creator, and slipped it on along with his own ring. There would be no more replacements.

A few quick hand signs were formed, and Tobi's moderate healing technique patched up Sasuke's most severely life-threatening injuries, presumably so he wouldn't die in transport to his assumed executioners in Konoha.

Sasuke soon found his vision swimming, in a manner he wouldn't have believed possible since awakening his Sharingan at twelve and an half. Genjutsu? The faces of those he'd betrayed appeared before his eyes, one after another, until he suddenly realized that he was in another part of the forest, tied securely with bonds he couldn't hope to escape in his current health.

Running footsteps approached him where he laid. That man...Tobi?...must have left him where he would be found by Konoha nins. Had they been looking for him, or had he been under genjutsu that long? He wasn't sure which would be worse.

Meanwhile, Tobi himself was a ways away, quietly erecting a small monument to his fallen comrade, having melted Sasuke's sword and other metal weapons strewn around the perimeter of the blast site with a fire jutsu into something resembling a grave marker. Placing it properly in the epicenter, he said a quick prayer before removing his orange mask and leaving it at the base.

Tobi's eyes were mismatched, his right one dark brown and tear-filled, and the left quite literally unseeing glass. No more of his face was visible through the second, cloth, mask beneath the orange one, save the scars along the right side where the head injury that had stolen most of his recollection of a life before that of a missing-nin had occurred.

With a small radio, tuned to a single other with a far longer range than those mass-produced for a larger team, a single call was made.

"Boss? Deidara is dead. He was killed, in battle, by Uchiha Sasuke. I'm sorry; I can't do this anymore. The explosion killed Tobi, too, I'm not going to be him anymore. Jiraiya-sama, find another spy, I want to go back to using my old name again and living in my old village. I don't have to worry about the clan anymore; they can't hurt me or anyone else now. I want a chance to spoil Sensei's kid like I never could when he was little, like I used to with my little nephew."

A crackle from the other side. "Welcome back, kid. Konoha's changed since you got yourself buried in that landslide all those years ago, but I think you'll be happy. You and that bastard you call a best friend can show up late to everything together now."

Tobi – no, Obito – smiled, and set off on the next leg of his journey. Surely Kakashi would appreciate another set of hands to help control his wayward former student? After all, he hadn't had a chance to actually play uncle to one of his little nephews since the older was a toddler.

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Phew! Finally got that out of my system! Yes, it's Tobito, and implies that the Yondaime Hokage was Naruto's father. Yes, it's got chapter 362 spoilers. No, I couldn't think of a way not to kill Deidara. I'd appreciate reviews if you have anything to say.


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